Vortex water flow generator, water plasma generator, decomposition processor, decomposition processor mounted vehicle, and decomposition method

ABSTRACT

A vortex water generator forms a vortex water flow for passing arc discharge. The vortex water flow generator includes a cylindrical portion configured to form a vortex water flow along an inner circumference; first middle partition and second middle partition protruding from the inner circumference of the cylindrical portion, a rear partition formed in a rear end side of the cylindrical portion, and a front partition provided in a front end side of the cylindrical portion. Each partition has an opening to include a center axis line position of the cylindrical portion. Each opening has a different opening shape in size. The middle partition and the front partition have negative electrode side surfaces formed by tapered surfaces receding from the negative electrode as close to the center axis line. Arc-shaped beveled portions are formed between the tapered surfaces and inner circumferential surfaces of the openings.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a vortex water flow generator, a waterplasma generator, a decomposition processor, a decomposition processormounted vehicle, and a decomposition method, used to inject water plasmausing arc discharge generated between negative and positive electrodes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus for disposing waste using a water plasma technology isknown in the art as discussed in Patent Document 1. in the apparatus ofPatent Document 1, incinerated ashes are supplied to a water plasma jetstream generated from arc discharge by using water as a plasmastabilizing medium and are dissolved. The water plasma jet stream isinjected from a water plasma burner, which includes negative andpositive electrodes for generating arc discharge and a chamber arrangedin an end side of the negative electrode to generate a vortex waterflow.

The chamber of the water plasma burner has a circular cylindrical shapeand includes a cylindrical portion configured to receive introducedhigh-pressure water and partitions provided in both end portions and aninner circumference of the cylindrical portion to generate a vortexwater flow by causing the introduced high-pressure water flow to followan inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion. Eachpartition has an opening formed in a center axis line position of thecylindrical portion. The high-pressure water that forms the vortex waterflow is partially converted into water plasma, and the remaining partsare discharged to the outside of the cylindrical portion through eachopening.

CITATION LIST Patent Documents

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3408779

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The water plasma burner injects water plasma by generating arc dischargethrough a cavity in the center of the vortex water flow. Therefore, ifthe cavity is not provided, arc discharge is not generated even byintroducing the high-pressure water to the chamber, and further, it isdifficult to inject water plasma. In this regard, the inventors madediligent studies by repeating trial and errors and found that the shapesof the openings of each partition are very important in order to stablyprovide a cavity in a vortex water flow. That is, the inventors inventedan opening structure capable of more stably injecting water plasma,compared to the technique of Patent Document 1 in which each opening hasthe same shape.

In view of the aforementioned demands, it is therefore an object of thepresent invention to provide a vortex water flow generator, a waterplasma generator, a decomposition processor, a decomposition processormounted vehicle, and a decomposition method, capable of stabilizinginjection of the water plasma.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a vortexwater flow generator placed between a negative electrode and a positiveelectrode of a water plasma generator that injects a water plasma. Thewater plasma becomes a jet stream by dissociating or ionizing water toform a vortex water flow having a cavity for passing arc dischargegenerated between the negative and positive electrodes. The vortex waterflow generator includes: a cylindrical portion configured to form thevortex water flow along an inner circumference; a middle partitionprotruding from the inner circumference of the cylindrical portion; aone-end-side partition disposed in one end side of the cylindricalportion to face the negative electrode; and the-other-end-side partitiondisposed in the other end side of the cylindrical portion. Each of thepartitions has an opening in a position including a center axis line ofthe cylindrical portion. The openings have different opening shapes insize. The middle partition and the-other-end-side partition havesurfaces at the negative electrode side. The surfaces are formed bytapered surfaces gradually receding from the negative electrode as closeto the center axis line. An arc-shaped beveled portion is formed betweenthe tapered surface and an inner circumferential surface of the opening.

In this configuration, a plurality of openings formed side by side alongthe center axis line of the cylindrical portion have different openingshapes in size. Therefore, it is possible to improve freedom ofadjustment for the amount of water flowing across the partitions. As aresult, it is possible to employ various opening shapes to appropriatelyprovide a cavity in the vortex water flow. In addition, it is possibleto stably inject water plasma. Furthermore, by providing the arc-shapedbeveled portions, it is possible to suppress resistance to the vortexwater flow and more appropriately provide a cavity in the vortex waterflow.

In the vortex water flow generator, shapes of the openings of the middlepartition and the-other-end-side partition may gradually increase insize as far from the negative electrode. In this configuration, theshapes of the openings gradually increase as close to the injection sideof the water plasma to form a conical shaped space inside thecylindrical portion. As a result, it is possible to stably provide acavity in the vortex water flow. It is conceived that this is becausethe water easily flows toward the injection side of the water plasma.

In the vortex water flow generator, a plurality of middle partitions maybe provided. In this configuration, it is possible to form the vortexwater flow by dividing the inside of the cylindrical portion into aplurality of rooms.

The tapered surface may be curved to be recessed along a bowl-shapedsurface.

In the vortex water flow generator, an arc-shaped beveled portion may beformed between the tapered surface and the inner circumferential surfaceof the opening. By curving the tapered surface in this manner, it ispossible to suppress resistance to the vortex water flow and moreappropriately provide a cavity in the vortex water flow.

In the vortex water flow generator, the cylindrical portion may have achannel for passing water from the outside to the inside thereof, eachof the channel and the cylindrical portion may have a cylindrical innercircumferential surface, and the inner circumferential surface of thechannel may linearly overlap with a tangential position of thecylindrical portion. In this configuration, it is possible to allow thewater flowing from the channel to smoothly follow the cylindrical innercircumferential surface of the cylindrical portion. This contributes tostable formation of the vortex water flow.

In the vortex water flow generator, the channel may be formed betweenthe neighboring partitions. In this configuration, it is possible toturn the water flow in the small space interposed between thepartitions.

In the vortex water flow generator, a plurality of the channels may beformed along a circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion tobe in an identical position in an extension direction of the center axisline. In this configuration, it is possible to stably form the vortexwater flow by flowing water from a plurality of portions in thecircumferential direction of the cylindrical portion corresponding tothe positions of the channels.

In the vortex water flow generator, each of the partitions may bedetachably installed in the cylindrical portion. In this configuration,it is possible to easily replace the partitions and facilitatemaintenance, an adjustment work, and the like.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a waterplasma generator including: the vortex water flow generator; a chamberconfigured to house the vortex water flow generator; and a positiveelectrode and a negative electrode configured to generate arc discharge.The vortex water flow generator is placed between the negative electrodeand the positive electrode to form a vortex water flow through which arcdischarge generated between the negative and positive electrodes passes.

According to further another embodiment of the invention, there isprovided a decomposition processor includes: the water plasma generator;and a supply device configured to supply a decomposition target objectto the water plasma injected from the water plasma generator. Thedecomposition target object is decomposed by the water plasma.

In the decomposition processor, the supply device may have a nozzle forproviding the decomposition target object from a tip, and the tip of thenozzle may be placed inside of the water plasma jet stream. In thisconfiguration, it is possible to provide a decomposition target objectinto the water plasma jet stream and decompose the decomposition targetobject at a significantly high temperature. As a result, it is possibleto improve reliability of decomposition of the decomposition targetobject and efficiently perform the decomposition.

In the decomposition processor, the tip of the nozzle may be placed in aspace formed by extending the opening of the injection port along thecenter axis line.

In the decomposition processor, the tip of the nozzle may be placed in aspace formed by extending the negative electrode along the center axisline.

In the decomposition processor, the tip of the nozzle may be placed tomatch or overlap with a center axis line position of the injection port.By, arranging the nozzle tip in this manner, it is possible to set aproviding position of the decomposition target object to a highertemperature portion in the water plasma jet stream and more efficientlyperform decomposition.

In the decomposition processor, the nozzle may have a cooling structurethat flows a coolant to the inside of the tip, and the cooling structuremay include: a first channel through which the decomposition targetobject passes; a second channel provided in an outer side of the firstchannel to pass the coolant from a basal end side of the nozzle to thetip side; and a third channel provided in an outer side of the secondchannel to communicate with the second channel in the tip side and passthe coolant from the tip side to the basal end side. In thisconfiguration, it is possible to prevent damage of the nozzle by coolingthe nozzle heated by the water plasma and stably provide thedecomposition target object. In addition, it is possible to reliablycool the tip of the nozzle placed inside the water plasma and improve acooling effect by cooling the entire nozzle.

The decomposition processor may further include: an exhaust gas disposerhaving a treatment space for disposing a gas generated by decomposingthe decomposition, target object; a wall body that partitions the insideand the outside of the treatment space; and a cylindrical containerconfigured to house the positive electrode and the injection port todischarge the gas to the treatment space. The nozzle may be supported bythe container, and the container may have a thickness within which aspace for flowing the coolant is formed. In this configuration, it ispossible to dispose wastes gasified through the cylindrical body, Inaddition, it is possible to cool the container heated by the waterplasma without exposing the coolant. Furthermore, it is possible to usethe container as a jig of the nozzle and simplify the structure.

According to the invention, there is provided a decomposition processormounted vehicle including the decomposition processor. The decompositionprocessor is mounted on a cargo box of a truck.

According to the invention, there is provided a decomposition methodincluding: supplying the decomposition target object to the water plasmainjected from the water plasma generator described above; anddecomposing the decomposition target object.

According to the present invention, it is possible to stably provide acavity in a vortex water flow by forming different sizes of openingshapes in a plurality of openings. In addition, it is possible tostabilize injection of the water plasma.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a decomposition processor mountedvehicle according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an inside plan-view illustrating the inside of a cargo box ofthe vehicle;

FIG. 3 is a left side inside-view illustrating the inside of the cargobox of the vehicle in the center position of the left-right direction;

FIG. 4 is a left side inside-view illustrating the inside of the cargobox of the vehicle, seen from the left side of the vehicle;

FIG. 5 is an inside plan-view illustrating the inside of a treatmentroom of the vehicle in the center position of the up-down direction;

FIG. 6 is a partially cut-away view illustrating a decompositionprocessor according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a container;

FIG. 8A is a rear view illustrating the container;

FIG. 8B is a front view illustrating the container;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating positions of first andsecond nozzle tips;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating internal structures ofthe first and second nozzles;

FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a chamber;

FIG. 12 is a plan cross-sectional view illustrating the chamber;

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the chamber.

FIG. 14 is an exploded longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating apart of the chamber and the vortex water flow generator;

FIG. 15 is an exploded longitudinal cross-sectional view illustratingthe vortex water flow generator;

FIG. 16 is a partially exploded perspective view illustrating the vortexwater flow generator;

FIG. 17 is a diagram for describing a vortex water flow lay partiallyenlarging FIG. 11; and

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating generation states of arcdischarge and water plasma.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in details withreference to the accompanying drawings. Note that each configuration ofthe embodiments is not limited to those described below, but may beappropriately changed or modified. In the following description, someparts of the configuration may be omitted for convenient descriptionpurposes.

FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a decomposition processor mountedvehicle according to an embodiment of the invention. In the followingdescription, unless specified otherwise, “left”, “right”, “front”, and“rear” refer to directions with respect to a vehicle, and directionsindicated by arrows in each drawing are used as reference directions.Note that directions of each component in the following embodiments aremerely for exemplary purposes and may be changed without a limitation.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a decomposition processor mounted vehicle(hereinafter, referred to as a “vehicle”) 10 has a truck-basedstructure. A cabin 11 is provided in a front side of the vehicle, and acargo box 12 extending in the front-rear direction is provided in rearof the cabin 11. An engine 13 for driving front and rear wheels 14 and15 is provided under the cabin 11. The cargo box 12 is partitioned intothree areas along the front-rear direction. That is, an electricgeneration area 12A, a plasma treatment area 12B, and a work area 12Care provided sequentially from the front to the rear.

Subsequently, each part of the electric generation area 12A will bedescribed. FIG. 2 is an inside plan-view illustrating the inside of acargo box of the vehicle. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the vehicle 10 has aDC generator 17 and an AC generator 18 arranged side by side in the leftand right sides of the electric generation area 12A. In the electricgeneration area 12A, the DC generator 17 and the AC generator 18 areenclosed by surrounding walls 20 in the front-rear and left-rightdirections. In addition, in the electric generation area 12A, an exhaustportion 21 (refer to FIG. 3) described below is provided over the DCgenerator 17 and the AC generator 18, so that the exhaust portion 21 andthe surrounding walls 20 form a space for enclosing the electricgeneration area 12A during a vehicle travel or the like. The surroundingwalls 20 provided in the left and right sides are opened or closed as awing body type to allow the inside of the electric generation area 12Ato be opened to the outside and expose the generators 17 and 18 to theoutside. The AC generator 18 is mounted with an engine separate from theengine 13 of FIG. 1 to generate AC power using the power of the engine.

FIG. 3 is a left side inside-view illustrating the inside of the cargobox of the vehicle in the center position of the left-right direction.The DC generator 17 generates electricity using the power of the engine13. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a propeller shaft 22 isrotated by driving the engine 13, and this rotation allows an inputshaft of the DC generator 17 to rotate through a gear box 23 to generateDC power. By generating AC power and DC power in this manner, eachcomponent such as the water plasma generator described below can beoperated even in a place where no power equipment is provided.

Next, each part of the plasma treatment area 128 will be described. FIG.4 is a left side inside-view illustrating the inside of the cargo box ofthe vehicle, seen from the left side of the vehicle. As illustrated inFIGS. 2 and 4, the vehicle 10 has a treatment room 25 which is anenclosed space in the plasma treatment area 12B. In addition, thevehicle 10 further has a water plasma generator 27 and an exhaust gasdisposer 28 arranged side by side in the front and rear sides of thetreatment room 25. The water plasma generator 27 is supplied with DCpower from the DC generator 17 (not shown in FIG. 4) to generate DC arcs(arc discharge). By virtue of the DC arcs, the water supplied to thewater plasma generator 27 is dissociated or ionized to inject a waterplasma jet stream having high energy. The water plasma generator 27 willbe described below in more details.

Hazardous wastes (decomposition target object) are provided to the waterplasma jet stream injected from the water plasma generator 27 through asupply device described below. The water plasma jet stream is convertedinto a high-speed fluid having a significantly high temperature, so thathazardous substances of the hazardous wastes provided to this fluid areinstantly decomposed to plasma and are then gasified.

The exhaust gas disposer 23 is provided in a downstream side of thewater plasma injection from the water plasma generator 27, that is, infront of the water plasma generator 27. The exhaust gas disposer 28performs treatment for molecules gasified by the water plasma, so thatthe oxidized gas is neutralized using strong alkaline water, andunharmful gases are discharged to the overlying exhaust portion 21 (notshown in FIG. 2). The exhaust portion 21 has a plurality of fans todischarge gases from the front side of the electric generation area 12Aby using the upper part of the electric generation area 12A as anexhaust channel. The exhaust gas disposer 28 will be described below inmore details.

FIG. 5 is an inside plan-view illustrating the inside of a treatmentroom of the vehicle in the center position of the up-down direction. Asillustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, a supply pump 31 (riot shown in FIG.5) and a vacuum pump 32 (not shown in FIG. 2) are provided vertically inparallel in positions close to the front side of the treatment room 25.The supply pump 31 of the upper stage supplies a coolant and plasmawater to the water plasma generator 27, and the plasma water is furtherfed by the high-pressure pump 33 (not shown in FIG. 5) as high-pressurewater. The vacuum pump 32 sucks the coolant and the plasma water fromthe water plasma generator 27 to discharge the coolant and the plasmawater. Since the vacuum pump 32 sucks a mixture of water and air, themixture of water and air is fed to a gas-liquid separator 35 and isseparated. Each of the pumps 31 to 33 and the gas-liquid separator 35are driven by AC power supplied from the AC generator 18.

A passage of a pipe (not shown) for coupling each of the pumps 31 to 33and the water plasma generator 27 is provided with a surge tank 37 asillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. A change of the water pressure(fluctuation) caused by each of the pumps 31 to 33 is suppressed by sucha surge tank 37, so that the coolant and the plasma water can besupplied to and discharged from the water plasma generator 27 at astable water pressure.

The coolant and the plasma water of the water plasma generator 27 arestored in the reservoir 40 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5 and arecirculated and used by each of the pumps 31 to 33. Note that the samewater is used as the coolant and the plasma water except that the waterpressure is different when it is supplied to the water plasma generator27. The water (including the coolant and the plasma water) sucked by thevacuum pump 32 and separated by the gas-liquid separator 35 flows intothe reservoir 40. A double flooring structure is provided on a floor ofa rear half of the treatment room 25, and the reservoir 40 is installedin the space formed by such a double flooring structure. The reservoir40 has a total of eight cells including two cells in the front-reardirection by four cells in the left-right direction, and the water flowsthrough each cell of the reservoir 40 in a meandering manner asindicated by the arrow of FIG. 5. Each cell of the reservoir 40 iscoupled using a pipe or the like. In addition, the water flowing throughall of cells of the reservoir 40 flows to a tank 42 through a radiator41 placed below the cargo box 12 and in front of the rear wheels 15. Insuch a flow of the water, the water heated by the water plasma generator27 is cooled, and is supplied to the water plasma generator 27 againthrough the supply pump 31.

Note that, since the water plasma generator 27 is placed over thereservoir 40 as illustrated in FIG. 4, sound generated from the waterplasma generator 27 is attenuated by the water of the reservoir 40, sothat a soundproof effect can be obtained.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, each of left and right entrance gates 47 isprovided in a rear wall body of the treatment room 25, and doors 48 areprovided to open or close the entrance gates 47. Therefore, an operatorcan access the treatment room 25 and the space of the cargo box 12 inthe rear side of the treatment room 25 through the entrance gates 47.

Next, each part of the work area 12C will be described. As illustratedin FIGS. 2 and 4, the vehicle 10 further has a supply device 50 providedon the cargo box 12 in an opened space of the work area 12C. The supplydevice 50 includes a compressor 51, an air tank 52 that stores the aircompressed by the compressor 51, a powder feeder 53 that feeds hazardouswastes powdered by the compressed air of the air tank 52, and a liquidfeeder 54 that feeds liquid hazardous wastes using the compressed air ofthe air tank 52. The supply device 50 further has nozzles 110 and 111(refer to FIG. 7) described below in the treatment room 25. The nozzles110 and 111 are used to provide hazardous wastes fed from the powderfeeder 53 and the liquid feeder 54 into the water plasma injected fromthe water plasma generator 27 through a pipe (not shown).

In the work area 12C, left and right side gate boards 56 are provided onthe left and right sides, respectively, of the cargo box 12. The sidegate board 56 is hinged to the cargo box 12 in the lower end portion torotate between an upright position and a horizontal position. In thehorizontal position, the side gate board 56 is coplanar with the cargobox 12 and forms a work space as a floor surface along with the cargobox 12 in the work area 12C. In the upright position, a ladder portion57 (not shown in FIG. 4) is provided on the inner surface of each sidegate board 56, and a front end of each ladder portion 57 is rotatablyconnected to a front end of the side gate board 56. Therefore, byrotating the side gate board 56 to the ground from the horizontalposition such that the rear end of the ladder portion 57 is placed inthe front side, an operator is allowed to easily move between the cargobox 12 and the ground by stepping on the ladder portion 57.

Here, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the water plasma generator 27, theexhaust gas disposer 28, and the supply device 50 described aboveconstitute a decomposition processor 60 capable of decomposing hazardouswastes. Each part of the decomposition processor 60 according to anembodiment of the invention will now be described. FIG. 6 is a partiallycut-away view illustrating the decomposition processor according to anembodiment of the invention,

The water plasma generator 27 is supported by a stand 70 at apredetermined height position. The water plasma generator 27 includes anegative electrode 71 extending in the front-rear direction, a chamber72 into which a front end side of the negative electrode 71 is inserted,a disk-shaped positive electrode 73 formed of iron and placed obliquelydownward in front of the chamber 72, and a positive electrode support 75that supports the positive electrode 73.

The negative electrode 71 is a round bar formed of carbon and isdisplaced by a feed screw shaft mechanism 76 in the front-rear directionto adjust an insertion length to the chamber 72. The chamber 72 issupported by a support plate 78 overlying the positive electrode support75. An extension cylinder 79 extending in the front-rear direction iscoupled to the rear end of the positive electrode support 75, and amotor 80 is provided in the rear end of the extension cylinder 79. Adriving force of the motor 80 is transmitted to the positive electrode73 through the extension cylinder 79 and the positive electrode support75 to rotate the positive electrode 73.

The chamber 72 is supplied with the coolant through the supply pump 31and is supplied with the plasma water through the high-pressure pump 33.A part of the plasma water is injected from the front end side of thechamber 72 as water plasma. The coolant supplied to the chamber 72 andthe plasma water not injected are sucked by the vacuum pump 32.Similarly, the positive electrode support 75 is supplied with thecoolant flowing through the inside of the positive electrode 73 by thesupply pump 31, and the coolant absorbing the heat of the positiveelectrode 73 is sucked by the vacuum pump 32.

In the cargo box 12, the exhaust gas disposer 28 includes a box-shapedcasing 83 and a reservoir 84 provided under the casing 83 to storestrong alkaline water by opening its upper part. The exhaust gasdisposer 28 has a treatment space 85 for disposing gasified wastes overthe reservoir 84 inside the casing 83. In addition, the exhaust gasdisposer 28 further includes a shower device 87 and a panel body 88provided inside the treatment space 85.

The reservoir 84 internally has a water intake 90, and the strongalkaline water of the reservoir 84 is supplied from the water intake 90to the shower device 87 by operating the pump 91 (not shown) (refer toFIG. 2). The shower device 87 neutralizes the gasified acidic gas byinjecting the supplied strong alkaline water to the treatment space 85.The neutralized molecules are discharged to the outside through theexhaust portion 21. In addition, the strong alkaline water of thereservoir 84 is also pumped up from the water intake 90 to the supplyport 92 over the panel body 88, and the pumped strong alkaline waterflows down to the reservoir 84 along the entire rear surface of thepanel body 88. Such a flow of the strong alkaline water neutralizes theacidic gas as described above and absorbs the heat generated from thewater plasma. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a cooling effect onthe entire exhaust gas disposer 28.

The exhaust gas disposer 28 and the water plasma generator 27 are placedfar from the wall body 93. The wall body 93 blocks the treatment space85 of the exhaust gas disposer 28 from the rear side and partitions theinside of the treatment space 85 from the other space where the waterplasma generator 27 is provided, so that air-tightness is maintainedbetween both spaces.

Here, a cylindrical container 95 is penetratingly installed in the wallbody 93, and the container 95 houses a front end side serving as aninjection port side of the chamber 72 described below and the positiveelectrode 73. As a result, the water plasma jet stream injected from thewater plasma generator 27 is covered by the container 95. A portion ofthe container 95 penetrating through the wall body 93 is entirelywelded, and the container 95 is held by the wall body 93, so that theair-tightness is maintained between the container 95 and the wall body93. The container 95 includes a cylinder body 96 formed in a cylindricalshape, a rear opening formation portion 97 provided in one end side(water plasma generator 27 side) of the cylinder body 96, and a frontopening formation portion 98 provided in the other end side (exhaust gasdisposer 28 side) of the cylinder body 96. An axial direction of thecylinder body 96 is slanted such that the exhaust gas disposer 28 sidebecomes lower than the water plasma generator 27 side.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating the container. Asillustrated in FIG. 7, the cylinder body 96, the rear opening formationportion 97, and the front opening formation portion 98 of the container95 have a doubled structure to form a single space 100 having athickness within which the coolant flows. This space 100 communicateswith a coolant supply passage 102 and a coolant discharge passage 103.The supply passage 102 is provided in a front lower end side of thecylinder body 96, and the discharge passage 103 is formed in an upperend side of the rear opening formation portion 97. The container 95 issupplied with the coolant from the supply passage 102 through a pump(not shown), and the coolant is introduced to the space 100. Inaddition, the coolant flowing through the space 100 from the supplypassage 102 to the discharge passage 103 absorbs the heat generated fromthe water plasma. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a cooling effectof the container 95.

FIG. 8A is a rear view illustrating the container, and FIG. 8B is afront view illustrating the container. As illustrated in FIG. 8A, anopening 97 a of the rear opening formation portion 97 is formed in anopening shape matching the positive electrode 73 and the front end sideof the chamber 72 to house the positive electrode 73 and the front endside of the chamber 72. As illustrated in FIG. 8B, an opening 98 a ofthe front opening formation portion 98 is formed in an upper half of thefront opening formation portion 98 and has a lower end portion extendingin a horizontal direction. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 6, astorage space 105 is formed in a lower corner between the front openingformation portion 98 and cylinder body 96 inside the container 95. Thestorage space 105 stores hazardous wastes not decomposed by the waterplasma, and the hazardous wastes are discharged through a channel 106penetrating through a lower part of the front opening formation portion98.

Returning to FIG. 7, the first nozzle 110 of the supply device 50 (referto FIG. 4) is penetratingly supported by the container 95. According toan embodiment of the invention, the first nozzle 110 is installed in theupper part of the container 95, and has a tip directed downward. Thefirst nozzle 110 is coupled to the liquid feeder 54, and liquid-phasehazardous wastes are fed from the liquid feeder 54 to the first nozzle110 through a pipe or the like (not shown), so that the hazardous wastescan be provided from the tip of the first nozzle 110.

Here, the container 95 may penetratingly support the second nozzle 111.That is, the supply device 50 may have the second nozzle 111 in additionto the first nozzle 110 to allow the first and second nozzles 110 and111 to be selectively used. According to an embodiment of the invention,the second nozzle 111 is installed in the lower part of the container 95and has a tip directed upward. The second nozzle 111 is coupled to thepowder feeder 53, and powdered hazardous wastes are fed from the powderfeeder 53 to the second nozzle 111 through a pipe or the like (notshown), so that the hazardous wastes can be provided from the tip of thesecond nozzle 111. Note that the hazardous wastes discharged from thechannel 106 through a circulation means (not shown) are also providedfrom the first and second nozzles 110 and 111 again.

A portion of the container 95 where each of the nozzles 110 and 111penetrates is provided with a female thread 112, and an outercircumference of each of the nozzles 110 and 111 is provided with a malethread 113 fastenable to the female thread 112. Therefore, by fasteningthe male thread 113 to the female thread 112, each of the nozzles 110and 111 is held by the container 95, and a position in the extensiondirection of each of the nozzles 110 and 111 can be adjusted by changingthe fastening amount.

As illustrated in FIG. 8A, a pair of first nozzles 110 may be providedin two places of the left and right sides of the upper part of thecontainer 95, and a pair of second nozzles 111 may be provided in twoplaces of the left and right sides of the lower part of the container95. In this case, female threads 112 are provided in two places of theupper and lower parts of the container 95, so that each tip position ofthe left and right nozzles 110 and 111 is aligned and adjusted byfastening the male threads 113 to the female threads 112.

Next, tip positions of the first and second nozzles 110 and 111 will bedescribed below with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is an explanatorydiagram illustrating tip positions of the first and second nozzles.Here, as illustrated in FIG. 9, in the water plasma generator 27, awater plasma jet stream J is injected from an injection port 145corresponding to a cylindrical inner circumferential surface asdescribed below. According to an embodiment of the invention, the waterplasma jet stream J is injected from the injection port 145 in a conicalshape widened to the front side, and the center axis line position C1 ofthe water plasma jet stream J is aligned with the center axis lineposition C1 of the injection port 145 to extend in the front-reardirection.

When hazardous wastes are provided, tip of each of the nozzles 110 and111 is placed inside the water plasma jet stream J. Here, the waterplasma jet stream J becomes an area that emits light by the injection.Advantageously, the opening of the injection port 145 are arranged suchthat the tip of each of the nozzles 110 and 111 is positioned in a spaceA1 extending along the center axis line position C1 of the injectionport 145. In FIG. 9, the tip of each of the nozzles 110 and 111 isseparated from the center axis line position C1. Alternatively, the tipsof the nozzles 110 and 111 may be arranged to match or overlap with thecenter axis line position C1. Alternatively, the tip of each of thenozzles 110 and 111 may be arranged in a space A2 extending along thecenter axis line position C1 of the negative electrode 71. By settingthe tip positions of the nozzles 110 and 111 in this manner, hazardouswastes can be provided to a portion of the water plasma jet stream Jhaving a higher temperature. As a result, it is possible to efficientlydecompose the provided hazardous wastes into gasified wastes anddischarge the wastes to the treatment space 85 (refer to FIG. 6) of theexhaust gas disposer 28 through the container 51.

Subsequently, internal structures of the first and second nozzles 110and 111 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is across-sectional view illustrating internal structures of the first andsecond nozzles. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the first nozzle 110 has acooling structure 120 having a triple tube structure having first,second, and third channels 121, 122, and 123 formed sequentially fromthe inside to the outside. A basal end portion of the first nozzle 110(upper end in FIG. 9) serves as a coupling portion 10 a coupled to apipe (not shown) communicating with the liquid feeder 54 (refer to FIG.6). The coupling portion 110 a communicates with the first channel 121.Therefore, the hazardous wastes fed from the liquid feeder 54 can beprovided from the tip of the first nozzle 110 through the first channel121.

The second channel 122 and the third channel 123 communicate with eachother in the tip side of the first nozzle 110 to form a single space forflowing the coolant. This space communicates with the coolant supplypassage 125 and the discharge passage 126. In the basal end side of thefirst nozzle 110, the supply passage 125 communicates with the secondchannel 122, and the discharge passage 126 communicates with the thirdchannel 123. Specifically, the first nozzle 110 is supplied with thecoolant from the supply passage 125 through a pump (not shown), and thecoolant is introduced to the second channel 122. In addition, in thesecond channel 122, the coolant flowing from the basal end side of thefirst nozzle 110 to the tip side turns back at the tip and is introducedto the third channel 123. In the third channel 123, the coolant flowsfrom the tip side of the first nozzle 110 to the basal end side and isdischarged from the discharge passage 126. Using such a flow of thecoolant, the heat generated from the water plasma is absorbed, and acooling effect can be obtained across the entire length direction of thefirst nozzle 110.

Note that the first and second nozzles 110 and 111 are substantiallyvertically opposite to each other, but have the same structure. Thefirst and second nozzles 110 and 111 are coupled to different parts,that is, the liquid feeder 54 and the powder feeder 53, respectively.Therefore, the structure of the second nozzle 111 will not be described.

Next, an internal structure of the chamber 72 will be described withreference to FIGS. 11 to 13. FIG, 11 is a side view illustrating thechamber FIG. 12 is a plan cross-sectional view illustrating the chamber.FIG. 13 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the chamber.

As illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, the chamber 72 of the water plasmagenerator 27 has a chamber body 140 that forms a cylindrical innercircumferential surface extending in the front-rear direction and afront wall portion 141 installed in the front side of the chamber body140, so that an inner space 142 for generating water plasma is formed inthe chamber 72. The front wall portion 141 has an opening communicatingwith the inner space 142, and an injection port formation plate 144 isinstalled to block this opening from the front side. The injection portformation plate 144 has an injection port 145 for injecting waterplasma.

A rib 140 a extending in a circumferential direction in the vicinity ofthe front side is provided in the chamber body 140, and a plasma watersupply passage 147 is provided in front of the rib 140 a. In addition, aplasma water discharge passage 148 for discharging plasma water flowingto the opening is provided in the front wall portion 141. High-pressureplasma water is supplied from the high-pressure pump 33 to the plasmawater supply passage 147, and the plasma water is sucked from the plasmawater discharge passage 148 by virtue of the negative pressure of thevacuum pump 32.

In rear of the rib 140 a of the chamber body 140, a coolant supplypassage 150 and a coolant discharge passage 151 (not shown in FIG. 12)are provided. The coolant is supplied from the supply pump 31 to thecoolant supply passage 150, and is sucked from the coolant dischargepassage 151 by virtue of a negative pressure of the vacuum pump 32. Theplasma water supply passage 147, the coolant supply passage 150, and thecoolant discharge passage 151 are formed in a round hole shapecorresponding to the cylindrical inner circumferential surface.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the plasma water supply passage 147communicates with the lower part of the inner space 142 having acircular shape as seen in a longitudinal cross-sectional view, andextends in the left-right direction. Specifically, the plasma watersupply passage 147 extends in the lower tangential direction of theinner space 142. More specifically, the lower end of the plasma watersupply passage 147 is positioned on a tangential line extending from thelower end of the inner space 142, As a result, the plasma water flowingfrom the plasma water supply passage 147 smoothly flows along acircumferential direction of the inner space 142.

Note that the plasma water supply passage 147 has an inner diameter d1set to be substantially or nearly equal to a width h1 between the innercircumferential surface of the chamber body 140 that forms the innerspace 142 and a cylindrical portion 162 described below. Thelongitudinal cross-sectional shape of the coolant supply passage 150 issimilar to the longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the plasma watersupply passage 147, so that the coolant as well as the plasma water canflow to the inner space 142. In addition, the coolant discharge passage151 communicates with the upper part of the inner space 142 and extendsin the left-right direction as seen in a longitudinal cross-sectionalview.

The water plasma generator 27 has a substantially cylindrical vortexwater flow generator 160 housed in the chamber 72. The vortex water flowgenerator 160 is arranged such that the inner space 142 is aligned withthe center axis line position C1. Note that this center axis lineposition C1 is aligned with the center axis line position C1 of theinjection port 145 described above (refer to FIG. 9). Therefore, as seenin a longitudinal cross-sectional view, the inner space 142 forms acircular space between the inner circumferential surface of the innerspace 142 and the outer circumferential surface of the vortex water flowgenerator 160, and the plasma water flowing to the inner space 142 flowsto turn in a circular space as described above.

FIG. 14 is an exploded longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating apart of the chamber and the vortex water flow generator. As illustratedin FIG. 14, the vortex water flow generator 160 includes a cylindricalportion 162 that forms a cylindrical shape, first and second middlepartitions 163 and 164 protruding from the inner circumference of thecylindrical portion 162, a rear partition (one-end-side partition) 165provided in one end side (rear end side) of the cylindrical portion 162,and a front partition (the-other-end-side partition) 156 formed in theother end side (front end side) of the cylindrical portion 162. Thefirst middle partition 163 is placed in rear of the second middlepartition 164. The rear partition 165 is arranged to face the negativeelectrode 71 (refer to FIG. 11) placed in the rear side. A front endportion of the vortex water flow generator 160 is fitted to the openingof the front wall portion 141.

FIG. 15 is an exploded longitudinal cross-sectional view illustratingthe vortex water flow generator. As illustrated in FIG. 15, thecylindrical portion 162 is dividable into a plurality of pieces along anaxial direction (front-rear direction). The cylindrical portion 162includes a front end portion 170 positioned in the injection port 145side (front side), a rear end portion 171 positioned in the sideopposite to the front end portion 170 (rear side), first and secondmiddle portions 173 and 174, three water flow generation rings 176, andsix spacer rings 177 positioned between the front and rear end portions170 and 171. The spacer rings 177 are provided on both front and rearsides of each of the three water flow generation rings 176, and theinner circumference of the spacer ring 177 protrudes forward or backwardand is fitted to the inner circumference of the water flow generationring 176. The first and second middle portions 173 and 174 areinterposed between the water flow generation rings 176 from both thefront and rear sides while nipping the spacer rings 177. In addition,out of the three water flow generation rings 176 arranged side by sidein the front-rear direction, the front end portion 170 is provided infront of the frontmost water flow generation ring 176 while nipping thespacer ring 177, and the rear end portion 171 is provided in rear of therearmost water flaw generation ring 176 while nipping the spacer ring177.

FIG. 16 is a partially exploded perspective view illustrating the vortexwater flow generator. As illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, the front endportion 170 is formed integrally with the outer circumference of thefront partition 166 in a flange shape, and the rear end portion 171 isformed integrally with the outer circumference of the rear partition 165in a flange shape. Therefore, the front end portion 170 and the frontpartition 166 constitute a head portion 160A as one component, and therear end portion 171 and the rear partition 165 constitute a terminatedportion 160B as one component. In addition, the first middle portion 173is formed integrally with an outer side of the first middle partition163 in a flange shape, and the second middle portion 174 is formedintegrally with an outer side of the second middle partition 164 in aflange shape. Therefore, the first middle portion 173 and the firstmiddle partition 163 constitute an annulus disk portion 160C as onecomponent, and the second middle portion 174 and the second middlepartition 164 constitute an annulus disk portion 160D as one component.

Partitions 163 to 166 have circular openings 163 a to 166 a,respectively, to include the center axis line position C1 of thecylindrical portion 162. According to an embodiment of the invention,center positions of the openings 163 a to 166 a are aligned with thecenter axis line position C1. Each of the openings 163 a to 166 a has adifferent opening shape in size. Specifically, the opening 165 a of therear partition 165 has the largest diameter D1, and the opening 163 a ofthe first middle partition 163 has the smallest diameter D2. Inaddition, the diameters have a relationship D4>D3>D2, where “D3” denotesa diameter of the opening 164 a of the second middle partition 164, and“D4” denotes a diameter of the opening 166 a of the front partition 166.As a result, the opening sizes (opening shapes) increase from theopening 163 a of the first middle partition 163 toward the front side(as far from the negative electrode 71 (refer to FIG. 11)) to form aconical shaped space.

The rear surfaces of the partitions 163 to 166 are formed as taperedsurfaces 163 b to 166 b, respectively, narrowed forward as close to thecenter positions of the openings 163 a to 166 a, respectively (as farfrom the negative electrode 71 (refer to FIG. 11)). The tapered surfaces163 b, 164 b, and 166 b of the first middle partition 163, the secondmiddle partition 164, and the front partition 166 are curved to form abowl-shaped surface. Specifically, as seen in a cross-sectional view,the tapered surfaces 163 b, 164 b, and 166 b are curved surfaces formedsuch that regions close to the openings 163 a, 164 a, and 166 a areplaced on a plane perpendicular to the center axis line position C1, andslopes become steep as going to the outside from the regions. The frontsurface of each of the partitions 163 to 166 is placed on a planeperpendicular to the center axis line position C1.

In the first middle partition 163, the second middle partition 164, andthe front partition 166, arc-shaped beveled portions 163 c, 164 c, and166 c are formed between the openings 163 a, 164 a, and 166 a and thetapered surfaces 163 b, 164 b, and 166 b, respectively, The beveledportions 163 c, 164 c, and 166 c have curvatures larger than curvaturesof the tapered surfaces 163 b, 164 b, and 166 b, respectively.

Here, as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 15, each of the three water flowgeneration rings 176 includes a plurality of channels 180. According toan embodiment of the invention, three channels 180 are formed in asingle water flow generation ring 176, and two channels 180 are notillustrated in FIG. 13. By forming the channels 180 in this manner,three channels 180 are formed in three positions of the water flowgeneration ring 176 along the extending direction of the center axisline position C1, and front and rear positions of the three channels 180are aligned with each other. In addition, three channels 180 are formedin each gap between the partitions 163 and 166 neighboring in the frontand rear sides. Each channel 180 is formed in a round hole shape havinga cylindrical inner circumferential surface.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the channels 180 are formed at equal angularintervals along a circumferential direction of the water flow generationring 176 (at an interval of 120° in this embodiment). Each channel 180penetrates through the water flow generation ring 176 to allow theinside and the outside to communicate with each other and extends in adirection sloped from a thickness direction. Specifically, each channel180 extends in a tangential direction to the inner circumference of thewater flow generation ring 176 in the communicating position. Morespecifically, each channel 180 is formed in a tangential position to theinner circumference of the water flow generation ring 176 to allow theinner circumferential surface of the channel 180 to linearly overlap.Therefore, there is no bulging portion between the innermost edge of thechannel 180 and the inner circumference of the water flow generationring 176. Furthermore, an angle θ between a flow direction of the plasmawater from the outside to the inside of the channel 180 and a flowdirection of the plasma water turning at the outside of the water flowgeneration ring 176 becomes an acute angle.

By forming the channel 180 in this manner, the plasma water flowingalong the inner circumferential surface of the chamber body 140 in theoutside of the cylindrical portion 162 flows to the inside of thecylindrical portion 162 through the channel 180. In addition, the plasmawater flows smoothly along the inner circumferential surface of thecylindrical portion 162, so that a vortex water flow turning a circularshape is formed to provide a cavity in the center axis line position C1as seen in a longitudinal cross-sectional view.

The water plasma generator 27 further has various components in rear ofthe vortex water flow generator 160 in the chamber 72. These componentswill now be described sequentially from the front side to the rear side.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, a cylindrical stopper 201 makes contact witha rear surface of the rib 140 a of the chamber body 140. The rearpartition 165 and the rear end portion 171 of the vortex water flowgenerator 160 are fitted to the opening of the stopper 201 to hold theposition of the vortex water flow generator 160 not to move backward.

A stepped cylindrical casing 202 makes contact with the rear surface ofthe stopper 201, and a cylindrical water flow forming cylinder 203 isfitted to the rear surface of the casing 202. As illustrated in FIG. 12,the water flow forming cylinder 203 has a plurality of channels 203 ashaped to match the channels 180 described above. By the channels 203 a,the coolant supplied from the coolant supply passage 150 to the innerspace 142 flows to the inside of the water flow forming cylinder 203 andmakes contact with the negative electrode 71 to cool the negativeelectrode 71. The coolant subjected to the cooling is discharged fromthe coolant discharge passage 151 (not shown in FIG. 12).

Note that the coolant supplied from the coolant supply passage 150 flowsto the vortex water flow generator 160 placed in front through thestopper 201 and the like and is also used as plasma water. In addition,the plasma water does not hinder cooling of the negative electrode 71through the stopper 201 and the like. In short, the plasma water and thecoolant mean main use purposes depending on differences in supplyposition and supply pressure, so that the common water is shared betweenthe plasma water and the coolant available for both the use purposes.

A sensor hole 203 b is formed in the left side of the water flow formingcylinder 203, and a sensor 204 (not shown in FIG. 11) is provided toface the sensor hole 203 b. The sensor 204 is installed in a sensorinstallation hole 140 b (not shown in FIG. 11) formed in the chamberbody 140. The sensor 204 detects presence of the negative electrode 71placed in the front or rear side of the sensor hole 203 b through thesensor hole 203 b. If the sensor 204 detects that there is no negativeelectrode 71, the detection data is output to a controller (not shown),and the feed screw shaft mechanism 76 (refer to FIG. 6) is driven tomove the negative electrode 71 forward by a predetermined length. As aresult, a front end position of the negative electrode 71 can bemaintained within a predetermined range in front of the sensor hole 203b.

A stepped cylindrical casing 206 internally having a step is provided inrear of the water flow forming cylinder 203. A front end portion of thecasing 206 is fitted to the rear end side of the water flow formingcylinder 203. A contactor 207 that makes contact with and holds thenegative electrode 71 is provided inside the casing 206. The contactor207 is divided into several pieces on a predetermined angle basis in acircumferential direction although not shown in the drawing. Inaddition, the inner diameter of the contactor 207 is variable.Furthermore, a ring-shaped elastic body 208 is provided on the outercircumference of the contactor 207 such that a contact state between thenegative electrode 71 and the contactor 207 is maintained by tightlyfastening the negative electrode 71 while interposing the contactor 207by virtue of an elastic force of the elastic body 208.

The ring-shaped seal holder 209 makes contact with the rear end surfaceof the contactor 207, and a seal 210 is provided in a seal holder 209.The seal 210 maintains liquid tightness with the negative electrode 71to restrict leaking of the coolant to the rear side of the seal 210.

The ring-shaped connector 211 makes contact with the rear end surface ofthe seal holder 209, and a wire 213 is connected to the connector 211through an adapter and the like (not shown). The wire 213 is suppliedwith DC power from the DC generator 17 (refer to FIG. 2) through aswitch board and the like. The connector 211, the seal holder 209, andthe contactor 207 are formed of a conductive material, and the negativeelectrode 71 and the wire 213 are electrically connected through theconnector 211, the seal holder 209, and the contactor 207. As a result,DC power for generating arc discharge is supplied to the negativeelectrode 71.

The ring-shaped spacer 214 makes contact with a rear end surface of theconnector 211, and a stop screw 215 penetrating through the negativeelectrode 71 makes contact with a rear end surface of the spacer 214. Afemale thread (not shown) fastenable to the stop screw 215 is formed onthe inner circumferential surface in rear of the chamber body 140. Byfastening the stop screw 215 forward, each component in rear of thevortex water flow generator 160 described above is positioned in thefront-rear direction.

Note that the components 221 to 225 of the chamber 72 are seal memberssuch as an O-ring for maintaining liquid tightness on such a contactsurface.

Next, a vortex water flow in the vortex water flow generator 160 will bedescribed. As illustrated in FIG. 13, as high-pressure plasma water issupplied from the plasma water supply passage 147, the plasma waterflows to turn in a cylindrical space provided between the innercircumferential surface of the chamber body 140 that forms the innerspace 142 and the outer circumferential surface of the vortex water flowgenerator 160. By virtue of the turning flow of the plasma water, theplasma water flows to the inside of the cylindrical portion 162 throughthe channel 180. In this case, the inner circumferential surface of thechannel 180 linearly overlaps with a tangential position on the innercircumference of the water flow generation ring 176. Therefore, theplasma water flows smoothly along the inner circumferential surface ofthe cylindrical portion 162.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for describing a vortex water flow by enlargingsome parts of FIG. 11. As illustrated in FIG. 17, the plasma waterflowing from the channels 180 to the inside of the cylindrical portion162 flows to turn between the partitions 163 to 165 neighboring in thefront-rear direction. In this case, the turning plasma water is suckedfrom the plasma water discharge passage 148 provided in the front wallportion 141. For this reason, the plasma water flows to the front sidethrough the openings 163 a, 164 a, and 166 a, passes through a gapbetween the front end of the front partition 166 and the injection portformation plate 144, and is discharged from the plasma water dischargepassage 148. In this case, the turning vortex water flow W is formed toprovide a cavity H in the center axis line position C1. Here, if thecavity H is not provided in the vortex water flow W, no arc discharge AR(refer to FIG. 18) is generated between the positive electrode 73 andthe negative electrode 71. Therefore, it is important to form the vortexwater flow W to stably generate the cavity H.

In this regard, the inventors made experiments over and over undervarious conditions and found a fact that the cavity H of the vortexwater flow W is most stably provided when a relationship D4>D3>D2 isestablished between the diameters D2 to D4 of the openings 163 a, 164 a,and 166 a as illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 16. It is conceived that, sincethe opening diameters D2 to D4 increase toward the front side in aconical shaped space, the plasma water easily flows from the rear sideto the front side as close to the downstream side (close to the frontside). Note that, besides the aforementioned relationship, the cavity His stably provided by forming the opening diameters D1 to D4 indifferent sizes. In this case, at least one of the openings 163 a to 166a may have a different size of the diameter from the other openingdiameters. By forming the openings 163 a, 164 a, and 166 a in differentsizes, it is possible to improve freedom of adjustment for the amount ofplasma water flowing through each of the opening 163 a, 164 a, and 166a. As a result, it is possible to employ various opening diameters toappropriately provide the cavity H in the vortex water flow W and stablyinject the water plasma.

By curving the tapered surfaces 163 b, 164 b, and 166 b to form abowl-shaped surface or forming the arc-shaped beveled portions 163 c,164 c, and 166 c, it is possible to suppress a turbulence that hindersformation of the vortex water flow W. This contributes to stableformation of the cavity H. Note that the plasma water also has an effectof cooling the vortex water flow generator 160 or the chamber body 140by virtue of the turning flow.

As DC power is supplied to the positive electrode 73 and the negativeelectrode 71 as illustrated in FIG. 18 while the vortex water flow W isprovided with the cavity H, arc discharge AR is generated between thepositive electrode 73 and the negative electrode 71. In this case, thearc discharge AR is generated through the cavity H of the vortex waterflow W. As the arc discharge AR is generated, the plasma water of thevortex water flow W is dissociated or ionized, and a water plasma jetstream J having high energy is injected from the injection port 145.

The water plasma jet stream J is converted into a high-speed fluidhaving a significantly high temperature, and the hazardous wastesprovided from the tip of each of the nozzles 110 and 111 are decomposedas illustrated in FIG. 9. Since the tip of each of the nozzles 110 and111 is arranged in the positions described in conjunction with FIG. 9according to an embodiment of the invention, the decomposition can beperformed under the better condition in a part having a highertemperature in the water plasma jet stream J. Therefore, it is possibleto efficiently decompose the provided hazardous wastes into gasifiedwastes. Here, the hazardous wastes may include PCB, sulfuric acidpitches, asbestos, freon, halon, tires, various types of garbage, andthe like. As illustrated in FIG. 7, from the nozzles 110 and 111, liquidwastes are provided through the liquid feeder 54, and granulated orpowdered wastes are provided through the powder feeder 53. Even whensuch hazardous wastes are provided, it is possible to decompose thehazardous wastes into unharmful wastes.

The container 95 is heated during the decomposition of hazardous wastes.However, the container 95 can be cooled and used by passing the coolantwithin a thickness of the container 95. In addition, since each of thenozzles 110 and 111, especially their tips are positioned in the middleof the water plasma jet stream J, the nozzles 110 and 111 are heatedwith high energy. However, using the cooling structure 120 describedabove in conjunction with FIG. 10, it is possible to suppress damagethat may be caused by the heating.

The acidic gas gasified by the water plasma jet stream J is neutralizedby the exhaust gas disposer 28 described above in conjunction with FIG.6. Therefore, it is possible to convert the gas treated by the waterplasma into the safer exhaust gas. In addition, the unharmful gas can bedischarged from the exhaust portion 21 placed in the upper part.

According to the aforementioned embodiment, the hazardous wastesdescribed above can be disposed on the vehicle 10. Therefore, it ispossible to operate the water plasma generator 27 in a mobile manner anddispose hazardous wastes unsuitable for delivery in a field where thewastes are stored. As a result, it is possible to reduce cost for movingand disposing hazardous wastes and to dispose a large amount ofhazardous wastes to reduce cost for disposal.

However, in Patent Document 1 described above, the water plasma jetstream is discharged from the water plasma burner, and the water plasmajet stream is discharged in a shape widening from the injection port ofthe water plasma burner as far from the injection port within apredetermined range. In the technique of Patent Document 1, a supplymeans for supplying incinerated ashes from the upper side of the waterplasma jet stream is provided far from the injection port of the waterplasma burner by a predetermined distance.

In the apparatus of Patent Document 1, a tip (lower end) of the supplymeans serving as a supply port is arranged over the water plasma jetstream. A temperature of the water plasma jet stream decreases as farfrom the injection port, and decomposition performance for incineratedashes also decreases. Therefore, there is a demand for improvement ofthe decomposition performance, in view of such a demand, in order toimprove efficiency of the decomposition process based on water plasma,the aforementioned configuration is provided. That is, the supply device50 has the nozzles 110 and 111 for providing hazardous wastes(decomposition target object) from the tip, and the tips of the nozzles110 and 111 are placed inside of the water plasma jet stream. Using sucha configuration, it is possible to provide the decomposition targetobject into the inside of the water plasma jet stream and decompose thedecomposition target object at a significantly high temperature. As aresult, it is possible to improve decomposition reliability for thedecomposition target object and efficiently perform the decomposition.

Note that the present invention encompasses various modes withoutlimiting to the aforementioned embodiments. in the aforementionedembodiments, sizes, shapes, or directions illustrated in the attacheddrawings may be appropriately changed without a limitation as long asthe effect of the present invention can be exhibited. Besides, variousmodifications or changes may be possible within the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

For example, although the middle partition includes a pair of the firstand second middle partitions 163 and 164 in the aforementionedembodiments, the number of middle partitions may be three or more, orsingular as long as the vortex water flow W can be formed as describedabove.

Although the vortex water flow generator 160 can be divided into aplurality of members as illustrated in FIG. 15, the members neighboringin the front-rear direction may be integrated without a limitation. Forexample, in the head portion 160A, the spacer ring 177 and the waterflow generation ring 176 placed in the rear may be integrated with eachother. Besides, various structures may also be employed as long as theycan be formed.

The shapes of the openings 163 a to 166 a are not limited to a circularshape. The shape of the opening may be changed to an oval shape, apolygonal shape, and the like as long as the vortex water flow W can begenerated as described above.

The position of the channel 180 in the circumferential direction of thewater flow generation ring 176 is not particularly limited. Although thepositions of the channels 180 are aligned across of the water flowgeneration rings 176 in FIG. 15, the position of the channel 180 may bechanged in each water flow generation ring 176.

The position or direction of each nozzle 110 or 111 may also be changedas long as the nozzles 110 and 111 are placed in the tip positionsdescribed in the aforementioned embodiments.

The target object decomposed and disposed by the water plasma generator27 is not limited to the aforementioned hazardous wastes. An. unharmfulobject may also be used as a decomposition target object. In addition,the water plasma generator 27 may be used in any process based on waterplasma such as a thermal spray without limiting to the waste disposal.

According to the present invention, it is possible to stably inject awater plasma jet stream from the water plasma generator.

This application is based on and claims priority to Japanese PatentApplication Laid-open No. 2016-519, filed on Jan. 5, 2016, and JapanesePatent Application Laid-open No. 2016-527, filed on Jan. 5, 2016, theentire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

1. A vortex water flow generator placed between a negative electrode anda positive electrode of a water plasma generator that injects a waterplasma, the water plasma becoming a jet stream by dissociating orionizing water to form a vortex water flow having a cavity for passingare discharge generated between the negative and positive electrodes,the vortex water flow generator comprising: a cylindrical portionconfigured to form the vortex water flow along an inner circumference; amiddle partition protruding from the inner circumference of thecylindrical portion; a one-end-side partition disposed in one end sideof the cylindrical portion to face the negative electrode; andthe-other-end-side partition disposed in the other end side of thecylindrical portion, wherein each of the partitions has an opening in aposition including a center axis line of the cylindrical portion, theopenings having different opening shapes in size, the middle partitionand the-other-end-side partition have surfaces at the negative electrodeside, the surfaces being formed by tapered surfaces gradually recedingfrom the negative electrode as close to the center axis line, and anarc-shaped beveled portion is formed between the tapered surface and aninner circumferential surface of the opening.
 2. The vortex water flowgenerator according to claim 1, wherein shapes of the openings of themiddle partition and the-other-end-side partition gradually increase insize in an order as far from the negative electrode.
 3. The vortex waterflow generator according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of middlepartitions are provided.
 4. The vortex water flow generator according toclaim 1, wherein the tapered surface is curved to be recessed along abowl-shaped surface.
 5. The vortex water flow generator according toclaim 1, wherein the cylindrical portion has a channel for passing waterfrom the outside to the inside thereof, each of the channel and thecylindrical portion has a cylindrical inner circumferential surface, andthe inner circumferential surface of the channel linearly overlaps witha tangential position of the cylindrical portion.
 6. The vortex waterflow generator according to claim 5, wherein the channel is formedbetween the neighboring partitions.
 7. The vortex water flow generatoraccording to claim 5, wherein a plurality of the channels are formedalong a circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion to be in anidentical position in an extension direction of the center axis line. 8.The vortex water flow generator according to claim 1, wherein each ofthe partitions is detachably installed in the cylindrical portion.
 9. Awater plasma generator comprising: the vortex water flow generatoraccording to claim 1; a chamber configured to house the vortex waterflow generator; and a positive electrode and a negative electrodeconfigured to generate arc discharge, wherein the vortex water flowgenerator is placed between the negative electrode and the positiveelectrode to form a vortex water flow through which arc dischargegenerated between the negative and positive electrodes passes.
 10. Adecomposition processor comprising: the water plasma generator accordingto claim 9; and a supply device configured to supply a decompositiontarget object to water plasma injected from the water plasma generator,wherein the decomposition target object is decomposed by the waterplasma.
 11. The decomposition processor according to claim 10, whereinthe supply device has a nozzle for providing the decomposition targetobject from a tip, and the tip of the nozzle is placed inside of thewater plasma jet stream.
 12. The decomposition processor according toclaim 11, wherein the tip of the nozzle is placed in a space formed byextending the opening of the injection port along the center axis line.13. The decomposition processor according to claim 11, wherein the tipof the nozzle is placed in a space formed by extending the negativeelectrode along the center axis line.
 14. The decomposition processoraccording to claim 11, wherein the tip of the nozzle is placed to matchor overlap with a center axis line position of the injection port. 15.The decomposition processor according to claim 11, wherein the nozzlehas a cooling structure that flows a coolant to the inside of the tip,and the cooling structure includes: a first channel through which thedecomposition target object passes; a second channel provided in anouter side of the first channel to pass the coolant from a basal endside of the nozzle to the tip side; and a third channel provided in anouter side of the second channel to communicate with the second channelin the tip side and pass the coolant from the tip side to the basal endside.
 16. The decomposition processor according to claim 11, furthercomprising: an exhaust gas disposer having a treatment space fordisposing a gas generated by decomposing the decomposition targetobject; a wall body that partitions the inside and the outside of thetreatment space; and a cylindrical container configured to house thepositive electrode and the injection port to discharge the gas to thetreatment space, wherein the nozzle is supported by the container, andthe container has a thickness within which a space for flowing thecoolant is formed.
 17. A decomposition processor mounted vehiclecomprising the decomposition processor according to claim 10, whereinthe decomposition processor is mounted on a cargo box of a truck.
 18. Adecomposition method comprising: supplying the decomposition targetobject to the water plasma injected from the water plasma generatoraccording to claim 9; and decomposing the decomposition target object.